AN: Here it is, the fight between Kakuzu and Zetsu. I'm not going to say anything else except enjoy.

Fanficfan20XX: Thank you and thank you for being a fan!

rarae aves: Me too! I'm hoping it's going to be a great and satisfying read for you and everyone.

Kuro641: So yes, having anyone else do would've felt too wrong too me, even if it was Zetsu herself. Kakuzu deserved that. Also, I love writing their scenes together because it's a perfect excuse to write fluff. Well, you've got two chapters after this then it'll be a skip to an older Zetsu, so you won't be waiting long! As for the Mayfly, I'm saying nothing because anything I say would be considered a spoiler. Let's just say, I've only scratched the surface on it and the entire fanfiction is going to be dedicated to investigating it.

Warning(s): Language (Low), Blood/Violence (Low), Genderbend, OC (Original Character)

…

Wasteland

Red Dawn Arc

Chapter 37

The "where" was back at the beginning: the cabin in the Riverlands.

It had been a considerable length of time, yet, it felt like yesterday since they had left to Amegakure. Nothing had changed except the waist-high weeds which had infiltrated the wooden structure and dust coating the windows. It didn't appear anyone had inhabited the little shack since their departure except the regional wildlife. Kakuzu felt himself a little nostalgic once seeing it again.

"Here?" He clarified, the golden grass crunching underneath his boots as he stepped into the hibernating field. It surprised him she decided on here instead of the training field, but he had his suspicions as to why that was.

Zetsu glimpsed around, scrutinizing her choice of environment then nodding to him. "Yes."

"Ok, how're we going to do this?" She stared at him, obviously not understanding him so he explained himself. "Is this going to be a free-for-all, or fisticuffs?"

"Ummm…like when I had the fight with the Firefly?"

"So, fisticuffs; no jutsu except taijutsu."

"With jutsu."

He piqued a dark eyebrow. "You'd like to use jutsu?" She nodded. Before, she had his curiosity, but now, she had his attention. "Then, with jutsu. Anything else?"

"I don't think so?"

"Ok, then it'll be a one-on-one fight with jutsu permitted. Oh, no dirty fighting either. If you try to kick me in the balls like you did with Sasori, I'll punish you, understand, girl?"

Zetsu didn't know what "balls" were but she agreed. "Understood, sir."

"Alright then. We'll take ten paces opposite of each other and on a count of three, we'll begin."

"Yes, sir." She said and turned her back to him, taking her ten respective steps.

Given Kakuzu's gigantic size, his steps ended up being larger than Zetsu's tinier ones which gave her a dominance on him since he would be beginning a lot farther back than she would be which he authorized. While he'd treat this as a legitimate fight, he wanted to give her as much gain as possible given the dramatic differences in their skill levels but do so without undermining her. He hadn't experienced firsthand the fruits of her labour so for all he knew, she could be an ass-kicking machine. But, that was why they were doing this, so she could show him her capabilities now. Thinking on it, he was…excited; he hadn't been excited for a fight since Hashirama—or, so he felt before getting obliterated.

Once his ten steps were taken, he paused. "Girl, are you ready?" He asked, staring straight ahead into the treeline.

"Yes, sir!" Zetsu chirped from the other side of the opening.

"Ok. Three…two…one!"

Immediately, Kakuzu turned himself around, arms crossed over his chest in preparation of being attacked first. Instead, Zetsu hadn't left her side, having taken a defensive position. She had one arm slung over her midsection and the other straightened beside her face while she did a three-step in a circle. He didn't recognize it and while it intrigued him, he decided to exercise caution in light of this unknown fighting stance. Especially once she started traipsing his direction without breaking position.

He met her halfway in three strides and delivered a straight, right punch, being careful of the strength of it so if it did hit, he wouldn't hurt her too seriously. She ducked it and replied by bringing her hand up at his chin. Kakuzu was positive it wasn't going to connect, given the girl was half his height, and didn't understand why she would go for an attack such as that since she must've known it too. Due to this, he didn't dodge and took the opening to bend his elbow with the intention of hitting her in the head with it. What he didn't predict was, her grabbing onto the front of his muscle shirt and using it to pick herself off the ground, avoiding his elbow then proceeding to drill her knee into his stomach. It was a solid hit too, since he hadn't had the time to solidify his abdomen and he grunted in pain. He grabbed her hand to pull her off and she straightened out her legs, kicking against his chest and freeing herself from his grasp as she propelled herself backwards with her arms out, not unlike a professional diver doing a backflip off a high board. She caught herself in a handstand position and walked herself on her hands from him before flipping herself over back onto her feet, going back to her fighting stance/dance. Kakuzu was impressed by the little show.

'She's a lot more…flexible now.' He thought to himself, massaging the area on his chest she had kicked off him. 'Where the fuck did she learn this?' He didn't have time to think on it because she was running at him.

This time, he activated his Doton to prevent further injury and used one arm to shield his midsection while he threw his other in a right hook targeted to interrupt her charge. She didn't stop, going straight at his fist but Kakuzu didn't pull it back. At the last second, she pitched herself backwards onto her backside, the momentum sending her sliding through the grass and between his legs. He caught herself with her hand and spun herself around, catching his ankles with her legs to try and topple him. It was unsuccessful though, considering the comical size difference. He kicked his steel-toed boot back like a bucking bull, nailing her in the chest and sending her skidding through the dirt, casting a plume of it into the air.

He turned, prepared for the next onslaught and Zetsu to emerge from the cloud but she didn't and as the dust fell, she was nowhere to be seen with no evidence of her location except the skidmark through the grass leading the thicket. He searched the treetops, thinking she had climbed up into them for camouflage but saw nothing. She must be hiding behind them then, he convinced himself and kept his distance since it was the perfect chance for her to ambush him otherwise. He'd just wait her out. After a minute and nothing though, he started getting curious and little anxious. He hadn't hurt her, had he? If he had, he'd hear her since the girl had a habit of moaning and groaning when in pain. Yet, he heard nothing except the rustling of the dead leaves in the morning breeze.

Suddenly, something hit him hard in the back, successfully sending him stumbling a few steps. It was Zetsu, having flanked him though how he didn't know how since he hadn't heard her behind him. She climbed up his back and as he bumbled forward, she wrapped her arms around his neck and flipped herself over his head, using her weight to cause him to lose his footing and go down. He faceplanted into the ground and caused a miniscule earthquake as he impacted it. Zetsu rolled from him and quickly got to her feet, fleeing into the thicket. Meanwhile, Kakuzu pushed himself onto his hands and knees, wheezing as the duel collision had kicked the oxygen out of his lungs.

"You little…shit…" He gasped, though it wasn't said out of antagonism towards her as much as frustration towards himself for leaving himself open to be attacked from behind like that. If this was a life-or-death strife, that little mistake would've caused his death. No more fun and games. It was obvious Zetsu had improved and proven that to him, so he wasn't playing with her anymore. He wasn't going to hurt her, but he also wasn't going to let her win this. "Ok, girl, you wanted a fight and you're going to get one."

Straightening up, he punched his brass fists together, the striking of metal on metal causing a rain of white-hot sparks and creating a horrible, scraping noise that frightened the birds in the neighbouring trees and they deserted the treetops in large, black flocks. He heard something behind them, a quiet scuttling which could've been mistaken as an animal except for the fact it wasn't leaving from him, but towards him and turned just as Zetsu was flying at him with a kick. He caught her leg and used it to slam her down. Inches from the earth, the flytrap-like extensions of the Mayfly vegetated from her waist, cocooning her and cushioning her from the strike. Despite having it witnessed it a few times now, it always surprised Kakuzu whenever he saw the Kekkei Genkai. Furthermore, when Zetsu utilized it correctly.

As the plastron deliquesced into a white goo, she flipped herself onto to her feet to distance herself from the elder, but he was on her, firing punches. She managed to sidestep a few and buy herself time but they continued so fast and so many that she ended up having to trigger her Mayfly again. It mimicked a brick wall, taking the hits while displaying little to no damage on its exterior, even with his Doton activated, and after a minute, Kakuzu yielded in his blitz.

It was in this second that Zetsu withdrew the Mayfly again and lurched at him, grabbed his arm and using it hoist herself in order to kick him in the side of the head. He grunted but didn't let the hit muddle him as he jerked his arm back, chucking her off and sending her summersaulting through the air. She turned herself upside down, landing on her hands and flipping backwards onto her feet. Kakuzu didn't give her a second to catch her breathe as he bulldozed at her, arms readied for a second barrage. Or, so he made it appear.

Zetsu initiate the Mayfly again but Kakuzu didn't attack her immediately. He had noticed that flytrap originated from her waist, therefore only insulating her upper half while leaving her lower half public. So, he trained onto her legs, pulling back his punch in favour of kicking her legs out from under her. It was a last-minute switch so Zetsu didn't have time to counter it and as his boot collided with her kneecaps, she fell backwards, the heavier weight of the herbage bringing her down.

Once grounded, Kakuzu leant over her and jammed his fingers in between the opening of the husk, trying to pry it open to where she was hidden inside. The flytrap instinctively tried diverting the invasion as the pointed external teeth stabbed at his hands and arms. They were unsuccessful as Kakuzu's Earth Spear shielded him from being punctured and managed to wrench it open. Exposed, Zetsu panicked a bit since she didn't exactly have anywhere to run or hide and, in her presentiment, kicked her leg up towards a particular part of Kakuzu's anatomy he had warned her from hitting.

"Girl! I told you, do not to kick me in the balls!"

"I'm sorry! I didn't know what that was!"

Instinctively, Kakuzu had cupped said place with his hand to shield it from her incoming foot and thankfully, Zetsu stopped herself before landing the kick and making them both instantly regret it. Instead, she relinquished her bloodline and pushed herself up, backpedaling from him. Once the immediate threat to his manhood as gone, he pursued her. Her Mayfly hadn't yet finished liquefying and didn't have time to harden again from its half-melted state. She guarded herself with her arms as he dispatched an uppercut at her.

It was strong enough to pick her off her feet and launch her into the sky. He ejected his fist after her and instead of avoiding it, she took the strike, the impact of which sent her hurtling into the oak trees. The branches crackled as they snapped underneath her tumbling weight and stray leaves floated down but he didn't see her fall out.

Kakuzu realized his screw up and sighed, exasperated. He was starting to understand why she picked here as the place of their spar; a lot of places to hide and since she didn't have a chakra signature—wait a minute, wait a fucking second. She wasn't hiding—yes, she was hiding but not like a child playing hide-and-seek. The Mayfly—had she figured out the Mayfly? It was such a sudden and huge understanding that he felt like he had been struck by a train. Just as everything clicked in his old brain, he heard the littlest noise and turned his head in the direction of it just as a human-sized flytrap ejected from the ground behind as if it was liquid, not solid. It was Zetsu—the Mayfly—she was using the fucking Mayfly.

He was left so awestruck by this revelation that he didn't have the time or thought process to defend himself for her surprise attack, permitting her to establish a direct kick to his face, blooding his nose but not breaking it. She then used his face as a trampoline, jumping off it and swan diving into the earth, her insectivorous plant-like shell turning white with the activation of the Mayfly as she phased using it. Then, like a dolphin jumping out of the ocean, she rocketed up from the ground a second later in front of Kakuzu, spinning a kick at his head but he lifted his arm up, deflecting each leg and she fall back down from once she came, disappearing again. Despite being kicked in the face, Kakuzu was exhilarated.

Spitting out the blood trinkling from his nose, he formulated a new plan of action in face of the extinct bloodline. With a click of his tongue, Amatsu clambered down his back, belching a greeting to him as it picked itself up with its grotesquely long arms. The Mayfly, while hailed as being the "master" bloodline by Kusagakure, had its weaknesses like any other bloodline. One of which: water.

Amatsu gurgled as it tilted its head back then throwing it down, heaving a literal tidal wave of water and rapidly flooding the woodlands. Seconds later, Zetsu materialized from the ground near the cabin, gasping and flailing against the inundation, her flytrap melting away like tissue paper. Kakuzu had Amatsu cease its regurgitation to prevent accidentally drowning the girl. Zetsu scrambled to liberate herself from the quicksand and Kakuzu walked over, plucking her out of the mud and placing her on her feet. She was soaking wet and shivering but she didn't let that inhibit her as she took her fighting stance, prepared to continue her skirmish with the elder.

Though, instead of attacking her, he did something unexpected. He picked her up by her underarms like a stuffed toy and hugged her; a bear hug too as he squished her in his large arms. Sir had never hugged her like this. Then, he did something else she never ever expected—he started laughing; a belly laugh that rattled her as he held her to his chest. Sir had never laughed before either. She was so confused on what was happening; she didn't hate it, she was just confused, so so confused. Due to this, she said nothing as he hugged her and genuinely laughed. Even Amatsu was confused as it stared at its owner with a curious tilt to its head.

Finally, after a minute of this, he placed her back on the ground as he leant over to be eyelevel with her. He was smiling and while he had a scary smile because of how it made his stitched cheeks split open, displaying his teeth inside, she liked it because Sir never smiled so it felt special. He never smiled at her either, so it felt extra special too.

"You used the Mayfly," He said to her, tone a bit skeptical as though he didn't believe what he was saying if he hadn't witnessed it with his own two eyes. "You used the Mayfly."

"Yes, I did!" Zetsu proclaimed proudly, smiling back with her canines exhibited.

"How the fuck did you learn to do that?"

"I was watching the movies and they explained how the Mayfly did it, so I tried it too." She clumsily explained, shrugging. At least it gave him the gratification that letting her check out that movie had paid off, ignoring the mental scarring from the imagery.

"I…I am so proud of you, Zetsu."

Instantly, smile crumbled, lips quivering, and her eyes the size of saucers. "P-Proud?"

"Yes, you learned the Mayfly all by yourself." He iterated. "I'm proud of you."

She stared at him, lemoned orbs glistening. After a minute, she smiled again and began laughing, a loud, fabricated laughter. It lasted a few seconds until the happy laughter turned into ugly blubbering. Kakuzu cradled her and patted her back as she cried tears of happiness of having one of most important persons in her life telling her he was proud of her. Once her sniveling was finished, he had Teo blow-dry her so she wouldn't catch a chill. It was decided that Kakuzu won since she couldn't use her Mayfly with Amatsu and physically, she couldn't defeat him either. In Kakuzu's book though, she was a winner.

They left back to Amegakure as Kakuzu wanted a chat with Pein. First though, he treated Zetsu to a chocolate milkshake for her achievement.

…

"Oh no."

Konan glimpsed up from the paperwork she was double-checking at proclamation, finding Pein sat back in his chair, kneading his temples. She didn't have to ask as she heard the chiming of the elevator, indicting a visitor, and she had two guesses as to who was inside. It arrived and as the doors opened, confirming half her guesses as Kakuzu stepped out though she didn't predict a jubilant Zetsu skipping out behind him. As Kakuzu strided up to his desk, Pein prepared himself to be subjected to whatever bullshit had ruffled the old bird's feathers this time.

Kakuzu slammed his hands onto the metal desk, staring into the Rinnegan then smiled, grinned even. "She did it."

"Who did what?" Pein pried, despite having a hint by the self-satisfied, smirking Zetsu standing behind Kakuzu.

"Zetsu learned the Mayfly."

On the other side of the office, Konan gasped excitedly, standing up from her makeshift desk (a table). "Zetsu, did you?"

"Yes!" Zetsu squeaked, skittering over to Konan who gifted her the hugest hug while celebrating her, borderline suffocating the girl in her chest but Zetsu didn't care as she marinated in all the praise.

"That is impressive—and all it took to happen was…a year?" Pein said, orange eyebrows lifted to his headband. Kakuzu's happiness drained from his face as his expression darkened and bloodshot orbs squinted into a dirty glaring at the other man, lip snarled. It could be testified that a child learning a Kekkei Genkai in a year when it took others years, or even entire lifetimes was an extraordinary accomplishment but he it'd be on deaf ears so Kakuzu said nothing. "So, now that Zetsu has mastered the Mayfly, she is prepared to be a member of the Akatsuki, would you agree to this?"

"Yes, I would." Kakuzu nodded with the upmost confidence.

"As would I. But, before she can become a member, I have one test left for her: a mission."

Kakuzu felt a stab of anxiety in his gut at the mention of his mysterious mission. "A mission?"

Pein nodded than stared past him at Zetsu who Konan continued to smother in affection. "Zetsu, would you kindly come over here?" Konan finally granted the teenager freedom as Zetsu obliged the request, walking over to Pein's desk then taking the chair beside Kakuzu as Pein gestured for her to sit down. "Thank you. Now then, you're in luck. I just received this proposition this morning," He leant down, pulling open a drawer in his desk and plucking up a mission file which he then handed off to Zetsu instead of Kakuzu, much to her puzzlement. She tried giving it to him, but he pushed it back into her hands, shaking his hands and pointing at Pein so he may begin his explanation.

"The Akatsuki has been approached by a party which wishes to remain anonymous but wants us to kill a drug dealer, Dokuro Izo," Pein paused, indicating as the file and after a minute, Zetsu clued it and opened it. Clipped on the inside was a mugshot of Dokuro Izo, a blonde but balding man with a face that displayed the disfiguring scars and acne of rabid drug use, upper lip split by a cleft palette and cockeye staring into nothing. Included with the picture was his rap sheet that was the size of a laundry list of violent and drug related crimes. "Apparently, Izo has been peddling drugs to shinobi fighting the Third War and this party isn't pleased about it as he is trespassing on their territory. So, they want him eliminated but through a third party so no connection can be made to them since Izo has, according to them, had 'made friends in high places'."

"So, we're fighting drug wars now?" Kakuzu questioned in disbelief.

"It's about the money, not the morals." Pein requited, hand clasped underneath his chin on his desk. "So, you're to go in and kill the target and leave; a basic assassination."

"That's it?" Kakuzu inquired, curious what made this mission so special to be considered a test for Zetsu.

"Yes, it is," Pein agreed, then a second later, something must've clicked with him because he straightened up, hands laid on his desk. "Oh yes, and this is going to be a solo mission for Zetsu. I want her to be the one to kill this target." Zetsu glanced up from the file she'd been reading through, frowning as the mention of her killing anyone. On the other side, Konan cringed, causing her to accidentally to swipe her pen over the paper she was signing and ruin it.

Immediately, Kakuzu felt himself being metaphorically being punched in the stomach at that last-minute clause. "You want her to solo an assassination mission?"

"If it makes you comfortable, Kakuzu, you may join her, but I do not want you having any hand in this mission. Everything must be done by Zetsu, especially eliminating the target." Kakuzu glimpsed at Zetsu to find her staring at Pein with this hesitant expression on her face like she was trying to figure out that what she heard was correct.

"I do not think Zetsu is ready to kill." Kakuzu told Pein, noticing her flinch in the corner of his eye at the mention of "kill".

Pein frowned, making his lip piercings project. "And, why is that? It isn't like she hasn't killed before." At this, Zetsu started tearing up, her lips quivering and eyes watering.

"That wasn't her!" Kakuzu barked, temper triggered as a reaction to the girl's upset. "She isn't prepared to do something like this."

"Well, I apologize you feel this way, Kakuzu, but if Zetsu is going to be part of the Akatsuki, this is the requirement to do so. Because of the Mayfly, she's going to responsible for espionage and assassinations and if she cannot do that, then I'll find someone else to do it."

"Pein, please…" Konan pleaded her partner, standing up from her table but proceeded no further as the ginger hiked up a hand, pointed in her direction if though an implicit threat to remain where she was.

His Rinnegan narrowed, pinpointed on Zetsu. "The Akatsuki has no room for dead weight." Pein then said, in a stoic yet bitterly cold tone that turned the air itself as freezing as that of Yukigakure.

Konan went quiet, as did Kakuzu and a strained silence swallowed the office except for Zetsu's hushed sniffling. Finally, Kakuzu was the one to interrupt it after a solid minute of the hush.

"When do we leave?"

"Immediately."

…

AN: Chapter finished. I'm pleased with the fighting scene between Kakuzu and Zetsu. It took a lotta research (and Youtube videos) to get it right. If anyone is curious, the fighting style Zetsu was utilizing was Capoeira which in this cano) is the primary fighting style of Kumogakure and was established in an earlier chapter.

I got to finally play with the Mayfly. Also, a lot more abilities of the Mayfly will be explored through the entire fanfic, including ones Zetsu used in the manga/anime. I'm not saying which, though. You'll just hafta wait and read!

Next Chapter: Zetsu's first solo mission.

Until Next Time.